1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a housing case for apparatus such as communication apparatus and electric apparatus having an opaque ornamental layer on the surface of housing case and a method of making thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, with the spread of portable telephone, a housing case forming the exterior view of portable telephone has been provided with varied indications of functions together with the diversification of function, and with varied ornamental patterns for distinguishing products manufactured by individual companies from products manufactured by other companies.
As methods of decorating housing cases with ornamental pattern, there are a method in which ornamental pattern is printed on the flat surface of three-dimensionally formed housing case by hot stamping, a method in which a housing case is insert-formed with a plate having a preprinted ornamental pattern and a method in which air spray coating is made on three-dimensionally formed housing case.
In each of the above-mentioned methods for decorating housing cases with ornamental pattern, it is needed to provide a housing case with a transparent display window for seeing liquid crystal display device mounted within the housing case. Therefore, in order to provide a housing case with the display window, a transparent plastic cover with a window hole made separately from a body of housing case is put in the body of housing case.
However, in the above-mentioned method of making of housing case, there is a problem that since the process of putting a transparent plastic cover with a window hole made separately from a body of housing case in the body of housing case is needed, much labor is required for making a housing case by labor needed for the process of putting a transparent plastic cover with a window hole made separately from a body of housing case in the body of housing case, and so the production cost of housing case is as high as ever.
It is thought that after a housing case is formed of transparent synthetic resin, and a part of the housing case corresponding to a display window is masked, opaque ornamental coating is made on the surface of housing case except an area corresponding to the display window by air spray coating. However, this method is not a practical method considering the masking of an area corresponding to the display window.
Further, a housing case is provided with push-buttons for dialing and various functions, which are made as parts separate from a body of housing case and set in button holes formed in the body of housing case.
However, in this case, there is a problem that since a process of putting push-buttons in a body of housing case is needed, much labor is required for making a housing case by labor needed for the process of putting push-buttons in a body of housing case, and so the production cost of housing case is as high as ever.
Further, there is a case where small-sized electric apparatus and communication apparatus, for example portable telephone carried in a pocket or a bag is failed, and strike another articles in a pocket by accident, so that printing layer on the housing case peels off and a cut is made on the surface of housing case.
For this reason, it is needed to apply hard coating layer having higher hardness than resin forming a body of housing case on the surface of housing case. The work of applying the hard coating layer on the surface of housing case is generally made by a method which comprises forming the hard coating layer on a formed housing case by air spray coating.
However, the above-mentioned process of applying the hard coating layer on the surface of housing case is a process independent from the forming of housing case. Further, after the hard coating layer on the surface of housing case, it is needed to dry the hard coating layer, and so the process of applying the hard coating layer on the surface of housing case is generally troublesome and requires much time.
Further, as another method for forming the hard coating layer on a formed housing case, there is a method by insert-forming, in which a high-hardness sheet forming the hard coating layer is put in a mold and resin is injected into the mold, by which a housing case can be formed with the hard coating layer on the surface of housing case. However, since high-hardness sheet is inferior in the workability. When deep-drawing of the high-hardness sheet is made so as to largely deform the high-hardness sheet, there is a case where fine cracks are generated and wrinkles are formed in edge portions in which the high-hardness sheet is largely deformed, so that the beauty of housing case is injured.
As further another method for forming the hard coating layer on the surface of housing case, what is called an in-mold-printing method is thought in which a hard coating layer film comprised of a continuous film, printing layer made on the continuous film and hard coating layer applied on the continuous film having the printing layer is put in a mold, synthetic resin is injected, by which decorated formed product is continuously manufactured. However, in order to make the deep-drawing of high-hardness sheet, the hardness of hard coating layer is restricted so that the required hardness of the front of housing case can be obtained.
Accordingly, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a housing case in which the work of decorating the surface of housing case and the work of forming a display window can be made at the same time when forming a body of housing case by a method of insert-forming so that a housing case can be made at high efficiency of production.
It is a second object of the present invention to a method of making of housing case in which the work of decorating the surface of housing case and the work of forming a display window can be made at the same time when forming a body of housing case by a method of insert-forming so that a housing case can be made at high efficiency of production.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide a housing case in which the work of decorating the surface of housing case, the work of forming a display window and the work of forming push buttons can be made at the same time when forming a body of housing case by a method of insert-forming so that a housing case can be made at high efficiency of production.
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide a method of making of housing case in which the work of decorating the surface of housing case, the work of forming a display window and the work of forming push buttons can be made at the same time when forming a body of housing case by a method of insert-forming so that a housing case can be made at high efficiency of production.
It is a fifth object of the present invention to provide a housing case in which hard coating layer is preformed on synthetic resin sheet used in insert-forming, by which a housing case covered with hard coating layer can be formed by a simpler production process, wherein influence exerted on hard coating layer when deep-drawing is made to synthetic resin sheet is particularly lessened, and a housing case having sharp edges and good quality of forming can be obtained.
It is a sixth object of the present invention to provide a method of making of a housing case in which hard coating layer is preformed on synthetic resin sheet used in insert-forming, by which a housing case covered with hard coating layer can be formed by a simpler production process, wherein influence exerted on hard coating layer when deep-drawing is made to synthetic resin sheet is particularly lessened, and a housing case having sharp edges and good quality of forming can be obtained.
It is a seventh object of the present invention to provide a housing case in which a body of housing case and a display window can be formed at the same time and continuously, wherein forming of body of housing case into three-dimensional shape can be easily made and enough strength can be given to the front of housing case.
It is an eighth object of the present invention to provide a method of making of housing case in which a body of housing case and a display window can be formed at the same time and continuously, wherein forming of body of housing case into three-dimensional shape can be easily made and enough strength can be given to the front of housing case.
The first object of the present invention can be attained by a housing case for apparatus having both a display window and opaque ornamental layer on the surface of housing case, characterized in that the housing case comprises a transparent synthetic resin sheet, said synthetic resin sheet is provided with opaque printing layer in a pattern having unprinted portion corresponding to the display window, the synthetic resin sheet is formed into a shape of housing case, and that a formed product of transparent synthetic resin forming a body of housing case together with the formed synthetic resin sheet is provided on the backside of the formed synthetic resin sheet(a first invention of the present application).
Further, the first object of the present invention can be obtained by a housing case for apparatus having both a display window and opaque ornamental layer on the surface of housing case, characterized in that the housing case comprises a synthetic resin sheet, said synthetic resin sheet is provided with opaque printing layer and with a window hole made in an area corresponding to a display window of housing case, the synthetic resin sheet is formed into a shape of housing case, and that a formed product of transparent synthetic resin forming a body of housing case together with the formed synthetic resin sheet and a transparent window part formed integrally with the formed product of transparent synthetic resin and filling the window hole are provided on the backside of the formed synthetic resin sheet.
The second object of the present invention can be attained by a method of making of housing case for apparatus having both a display window and opaque ornamental layer on the surface of housing case, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: applying opaque printing layer in a pattern having unprinted portion corresponding to the display window on a synthetic resin sheet; deep-drawing the synthetic resin sheet into a shape of housing case; putting this formed synthetic resin sheet in a mold; and injecting molten transparent synthetic resin into the mold, by which a formed product of transparent synthetic resin forming a body of housing case together with the formed synthetic resin sheet is formed.
Further, the second object of the present invention can be obtained by a method of making of housing case for apparatus having both a display window and opaque ornamental layer on the surface of housing case, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: applying printing layer on a synthetic resin sheet; deep-drawing the synthetic resin sheet into a shape of housing case; making a window hole in an area corresponding to the display window of the synthetic resin sheet; putting the deep-drawn and holed synthetic resin sheet in a mold; and injecting molten transparent synthetic resin into the mold, by which a formed product of transparent synthetic resin forming a body of housing case together with the formed synthetic resin sheet and transparent window part formed integrally with the formed product of transparent synthetic resin and filling the window hole are formed.
The third object of the present invention can be attained by a housing case for apparatus having both a display window and opaque ornamental layer on the surface of housing case, characterized in that the housing case comprises a transparent synthetic resin sheet, said synthetic resin sheet is provided with push-button areas and with opaque printing layer in a pattern having unprinted portion corresponding to the display window, the synthetic resin sheet is formed into a shape of housing case, and that a formed product of transparent synthetic resin forming a body of housing case together with the formed synthetic resin sheet and movable button pieces formed integrally with the formed product of transparent synthetic resin are provided on the backside of the formed synthetic resin sheet(a second invention of the present application).
In the housing case according to the second invention, slits may be formed along contours of the push-button areas.
The fourth object of the present invention can be attained by a method of making of housing case for apparatus having both a display window and opaque ornamental layer on the surface of housing case, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: providing the transparent synthetic resin sheet with push-button areas and applying opaque printing layer in a pattern having unprinted portion corresponding to the display window on a synthetic resin sheet; deep-drawing the synthetic resin sheet into a shape of housing case; thereafter putting the formed synthetic resin sheet in a mold; and injecting molten transparent synthetic resin into the mold, by which a formed product of transparent synthetic resin forming a body of housing case together with the formed synthetic resin sheet is formed at the same time movable button pieces formed integrally with the formed product of transparent synthetic resin pieces are formed on the backside of the push button areas.
In the method of making of housing case according to the above-mentioned invention, slits may be formed along contours of the push-button areas.
The fifth object of the present invention can be attained by a housing case for apparatus having both a display window and opaque ornamental layer on the surface of housing case, characterized in that the housing case comprises a transparent synthetic resin sheet, said synthetic resin sheet is provided with opaque printing layer in a pattern having unprinted portion corresponding to the display window, hard coating layer is applied on the surface of synthetic resin sheet with the opaque printing layer, wherein the hard coating layer is formed in such a manner that a part of the hard coating layer corresponding to the edge portions of housing case has low hardness and a part of the hard coating layer corresponding to the front of housing case has high hardness, the synthetic resin sheet is formed into a shape of housing case, and that a formed product of transparent synthetic resin forming a body of housing case together with the formed synthetic resin sheet is provided on the backside of the formed synthetic resin sheet(a third invention of the present application).
In the housing case according to the third invention, as the hard coating layer, such a hard coating layer that a part corresponding to the edge portions of housing case is made of a low-hardness coating layer and a part corresponding to the front of housing case is made of a laminate of a low-hardness hard coating layer and a high-hardness hard coating layer can be applied, or such a hard coating layer that a part corresponding to the edge portions of housing case are made of a thin laminate and a part corresponding to the front of housing case is made of a thick laminate can be applied.
The sixth object of the present invention can be attained by a method of making of housing case for apparatus having both a display window and opaque ornamental layer on the surface of housing case, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: applying opaque printing layer in a pattern having unprinted portion corresponding to the display window on a synthetic resin sheet and applying a hard coating layer on the surface of synthetic resin sheet with the opaque printing layer, wherein the hard coating layer is formed in such a manner that a part of the hard coating layer corresponding to the edge portions of housing case has low hardness and a part of the hard coating layer corresponding to the front of housing case has high hardness; deep-drawing the synthetic resin sheet with opaque printing layer and the hard coating layer into a shape of housing case; thereafter putting the formed synthetic resin sheet in a mold; and injecting molten transparent synthetic resin into the mold, by which a formed product of transparent synthetic resin forming a body of housing case together with the formed synthetic resin sheet is formed.
In the method of making of housing case according to the above-mentioned invention, as the hard coating layer, such a hard coating layer that a part corresponding to the edge portions of housing case is made of a low-hardness hard coating layer and a part corresponding to the front of housing case is made of a laminate of a lower-harness coating layer and a high-hardness hard coating layer can be applied, or such a hard coating layer that a part corresponding to the edge portions of housing case are made of a thin laminate and a part corresponding to the front of housing case is made of a thick laminate can be applied.
The seventh object of the present invention can be attained by a housing case for apparatus having both a display window and opaque ornamental layer on the surface of housing case, characterized in that the housing case comprises a formed product of transparent synthetic resin forming a body of housing case, said formed product of transparent synthetic resin is provided with opaque printing layer in a pattern having unprinted portion corresponding to the display window and with hard coating layer covering the printing layer, wherein the hard coating layer is formed in such a manner that a part of the hard coating layer covering areas corresponding to the edge portions of the formed product of transparent synthetic resin has low hardness and a part of the hard coating layer covering an area corresponding to the front of the formed product of transparent synthetic resin has high hardness(a fourth invention of the present application).
In the method of making of housing case according to the above-mentioned invention, as the hard coating layer, a hard coating layer in which a part corresponding to the edge portions of housing case is made of a hard coating layer having low hardness and a part corresponding to the front of housing case is made of a laminate of a hard coating layer having low hardness and a hard coating layer having high hardness, or a hard coating layer in which a part corresponding to the edge portions of housing case are made of a thin laminate and a part corresponding to the front of housing case is made of a thick laminate can be applied.
The eighth object of the present invention can be attained by a method of making of housing case for apparatus having both a display window and opaque ornamental layer on the surface of housing case, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: providing a continuous film including a base film, a release layer, a hard coating layer and printing layer with pattern having unprinted portion corresponding to the display window and an adhesion layer which are laid on the base sheet in order, wherein the hard coating layer is formed in such a manner that a part of the hard coating layer covering areas corresponding to the edge portions of the formed product of transparent synthetic resin has low hardness and a part of the hard coating layer covering an area corresponding to the front of the formed product of transparent synthetic resin has high hardness; putting the continuous film in a mold so as to direct the adhesion layer toward the inside of the mold, and; injecting transparent synthetic resin into the mold, by which a formed product of transparent resin is formed forming a body of housing case and while the printing layer and the hard coating layer are transferred to the surface of formed product of transparent synthetic resin.